Teen won't be charged with murder for the shooting death of 11-year-old boy
Teen won't be charged in Amir Atkins shooting death
No murder charges will be filed in the fatal shooting of 11-year-old Amir Atkins. The Hennepin County Attorney?s Office says there?s evidence of self-defense. This comes after a 16-year-old was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the shooting.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - No murder charges will be filed in the fatal shooting of 11-year-old Amir Atkins.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says there’s evidence of self-defense. This comes after a 16-year-old was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the shooting.
Teen won't be charged with murder in Amir Atkins' death
Big picture view:
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged the 16-year-old with having a gun under the age of 18, a felony.
This case received a lot of attention because of Amir Atkins’ age. He was just 11 when he was shot and killed.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says murder was not a viable charge because of evidence showing the teen acted in self-defense.
The backstory:
Surveillance video from Folwell Park Recreation Center captured the shooting.
Court documents say Amir Atkins was leaning out of the front passenger seat of a Kia Optima, holding what appeared to be a gun out the window, pointing it at a Honda Fit.
Investigators say the 16-year-old dove into the back seat of the Honda Fit, then pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots.
Community organizations, city leaders reflect
What they're saying:
Community organizations put out joint statements on what happened.
"We had a sense, an idea of where the chargers were going. And I think that was a great thing to involve community leaders from all different walks of life to come together to, you know, get communicated that information," said Muhammad Abdul-Ahad, Executive Director of T.O.U.CH. Outreach.
The Hennepin County Attorney, Mary Moriarty, released a statement that said in part: "Everything about this case is a tragedy, especially that an 11-year-old boy, Amir Atkins, is dead."
She goes on to say, "No matter what Amir was doing at the time, he was a young child. He deserved to live a full life."
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in part: "We recognize the unimaginable pain of parents, loved ones, and friends who have experienced tragedy from gun violence with irreversible outcomes."
Wednesday marks one month since the shooting. On this day, community organizations like T.O.U.C.H. outreach are asking themselves how they can do their jobs better to help prevent things like this from happening.